The “Practice for Death" is sometimes called a meditation or sometimes a poem. It came to me in a dream. In the dream Ginny, one of my teachers discovered that cancer had returned to her for the third time. Her children and husband were wildly, furiously, desperately trying to soothe her and help her. They were all maddened and struggling hard to make the truth of her illness go away. I was in the room, in dreamtime, but invisible, watching.

Ginny tried desperately to get them to stop. When nothing would make them leave her in peace, she called to me to take her away. So in the dream we moved out of her house and floated into a beautiful green garden. Ginny lifted her arms and an emerald green silk robe came down from the sky. She grabbed the tails of it and wrapped it around her.

She looked at me with a deep thorough peace and said “Thank YOU”. She stood still with her arms crossed over her chest and began to say all the words in the “Practice for Death” - one line after the other. When she was finished, she looked at me again and said, “Tarron, this practice is yours. IT IS YOUR WORK.” And with that she kissed my cheek and disappeared.

I woke, sitting straight up in bed with a feeling of gratitude and dread. I wrote the words down without lifting my pen and went back to sleep. The next morning I called Ginny to tell her my dream. When I told her, she asked me, “What kind of dream is this?” And I said, “Well, it’s both a teaching dream as well as a foretelling dream.” Then she told me that indeed the cancer had returned and her family was having a much harder time with the information than herself.

She had been my dream teacher for many years. We were both silent for a few moments realizing that the foretelling was both about my work and her illness, and that the teaching was for both of us.

Now I use the “Practice for Death” as a teaching tool. We learn through the practice to support each other, surrendering completely in the way we would most like to die. Each phrase in this practice is complete in itself and each line resonates differently and stronger for each of us. We select one or two phrases and these are said into the left ear of the person who is practicing their death.

People report that the phrases are relieving and heart opening. Some say they have never known until this practice that the right words could be so healing.

In Sanskrit, these phrases, these short meaningful kernels of truth, are called “Pith” sayings. When we use one of the lines in the practice, we are on our own restorative inner journey. We come to know each phrase and it’s importance for healing, surrender, rest and release for ourselves and others.

During the later phases of active dying, the hearing is the last sense to go. It is important to remember that what we say during this time is of the highest importance and can be healing and elevating to the spirit of the person departing as well as family. Using the “Practice for Death”, or specific phrases, can be one of the most meaningful caring modalities we can offer nearing death and dying.

Conscious Dying Institute

"My passion is creating sacred space-- a trusting, caring, healing learning environment that supports the recognition of who we truly are. It is my pleasure to support the remembering of our true nature, our authentic being, which is essential and timeless. And to increase an embodied experience that we and all living beings exist in an interconnected field of loving energy that supports all life.

My work includes supporting individuals and organizations to discover and live out their unique purpose- to activate the skills, gifts and talents that we were born to express in the world.

I am a poet and healing artist. I have written poetry since I was 14 years old. I offer private sessions which include dreamwork, movement, somatic expression and an array of healing modalities that create life fulfillment whether in total health or facing death."—Tarron Estes, Founder, Conscious Dying Institute

“Tarron’s dream work is truly eye-opening, inspiring, and deeply insightful. My life, both waking and sleeping, has been enriched with a deeper resonance and understanding of my dreams and their import in my life. In her group work, she creates an environment where we all learn from each other’s dreams, while offering numerous techniques for self-investigation. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with her!” — Elisabeth Thomas

For Private Consultations with Tarron or information about CDI, fill out the form below. We look forward to hearing from you!

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Mary Rockwood Lane, R.N., PhD., FAAN, Associate Professor

Mary is a professor, painter and a nurse. She experienced art, spirituality and healing first hand as she painted herself out of a severe depression. From what she learned in that experience, she became the co-founder and co-director of the Arts In Medicine process at University of Florida, Gainesville and founded their artist in residence process. She led and developed that process for over ten years.

She is currently Associate Professor of Nursing at University of Florida, College of Nursing where she teaches Creativity and Spirituality in Healthcare in the undergraduate and graduate college. Read more.